Resolving the roles of the Rhodobacter sphaeroides HemA and HemT 5‐aminolevulinic acid synthases

What is it about?

We investigated the presence of multiple genes coding for enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), the common precursor to heme and bacteriochlorophyll, in a bacterium that is capable of both respiration and photosynthesis. Each ALA synthase has a specialized role, and differences in their representation among strains contribute to the ability of some to rapidly respond to changes in oxygen availability while others can quickly adjust to changes in light availability.

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